Means for balancing an unevenly loaded rotary container



p 1958 LARS-JOHAN SODERSTRGM 2,850,917

- MEANS FOR BALANCING AN UNEVENLY LOADED ROTARY CONTAINER Filed Dec. 18,1952

lllllllllll INVENTOR United fltates Patent MEANS FOR BALANCING AN UNEVENLY LOADED ROTARY CONTAINER Lars-Johan Stiderstrtim, Eskilstuna, Sweden Application December 18, 1952, Serial No. 326,741

2 Claims. (Cl. 74573) The present invention relates to a means for balancing a rotary mass, the centre of gravity of which does not coincide with its centre of rotation. The invention is intended for balancing a rotatable container carried by a vertical, radially resilient axle, by way of example a container in a centrifuge for removing moisture from laundry and the like, and its main feature is that the radial change of position of the container caused during the rotation by the lack of balance is utilized for filling liquid into one or more balancing chambers provided in the container.

A centrifuge for drying laundry and the like, and having its rotary container balanced in accordance with the above means, is described in the following text and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section on a line represented by II in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 2 is a top view of a detail of the apparatus with certain parts omitted.

In the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a container, which is carried by a vertical or substantially vertical axle 2. The container is open at the top. The lower end of the axle 2 is fitted into a bushing 3 of some suitable material, which is surrounded by a resilient material, for instance rubber, shaped as a bushing 4. The radially resilient bearing of the axle 2 formed by the bushings 3 and 4 is mounted in a third bushing 6, which is fitted in the frame 5 of the centrifuge. The central portion of the container bottom 7 has an upwardly extending bushing-like part 8, in which the upper end of the axle 2 is mounted, either rigidly, or resiliently by means of a surrounding sleeve 9 of resilient material. The axle top portion may also be connected with the container 1 by means of a downwards pointing, sleeveshaped part, which is arranged centrally to the container bottom 7 and is secured to a plate of suitable material fastened to said bottom 7.

The upper portion of the container 1 is provided with a collar forming an approximately radially or obliquely inwardly directed wall 10 and an upright flange 11 integral therewith. An annular vessel 12 opening up towards its centre is secured to the outside of said flange 11. Fig. 2 is a top view of this vessel. The bottom portion of the vessel 12 is somewhat spaced from the top wall 10 of the container 1, an annular space 13 thus being formed between the wall 10 and the vessel 12. The latter is divided up into a plurality of compartments 15 by partitions 14, and said compartments are provided with drain holes 16. The diameter of the circular opening in the upper plane side of the vessel 12 is larger than the diameter of the flange 11 on the container 1, the partitions 14 being provided with angular recesses, which are limited by top edge of the flange 11 and the inwards pointing edge portion of the vessel 12. At a certain distance above the flange 11 there is fitted an annular pipe 17, which has a plurality of nozzles 18 pointing downwards. Water can be fed to said pipe 17 through a pipe 19. The nozzles 18 are so placed in the pipe 17 that the water jets 20 from the same will pass near the inner side of the flange 11 when the container 1 is at rest, or rotates unloaded or evenly loaded.

If due to uneven loading (as shown at 21) the centre of gravity of the goods placed in the container 1 does not coincide with the centre of rotation of the container, the latter will be influenced when rotating by a force directed radially to the uneven load, the axle 2, which is mounted in a resilient bearing, will assume a position deviating from the vertical line towards the uneven load in the container 1. When the container during the rotation has reached such an inclination towards the uneven load 21 that that part of the flange 11. which diametrically opposes the uneven load comes inside the water jets 20 from the nozzles 18, water is filled into one or more of the compartments 15 in the annular vessel 12. This water, which is retained in the respective compartments "by the centrifugal force, will completely equalize the uneven load, and in consequence the speed of the container can be increased above the critical number of revolutions without risk of dangerous vibrations arising.

To effect a dynamical equalizing of an-uneven loading of the container 1, there is also provided an equalizing vessel underneath the container bottom, said vessel resembling that mounted to the upper portion of the container in constructional as well as in functional respect.

Obviously, the invention is not confined to the embodiment described in the foregoing text and illustrated, but may be varied in several ways without abandoning the inventional spirit. Thus an uneven loading may be equalized by means of equalizing vessels, the compartments of which have been prefilled to the same level. Water is then brought to run out of the compartments on the more heavily loaded side through valves which, due to the change of position during the rotation, abut against a rigid stop and open. The Water in the compartments on the opposite side of the vessel will now equalize the uneven load. This arrangement makes it possible to balance also a container rotating abouta horizontal axle, provided that the balancing vessels are completely closed and equipped with valves.

I claim: 1

1. Means for balancing an unevenly loaded rotary container carried by a vertically disposed axle, mounted resiliently in the radial direction, comprising means forming compartments around the top of the container, said compartments being bordered by open free rims on the part nearest to the center of rotation, a plurality of nozzles attached to a fixed feed pipe,'said nozzles being arranged at a short distance from and against said rim, so that liquid jets discharging'from the nozzles pass near said rim, at a shorter distance to the center of rotation than the distance from the rim to the center of rotation, said free rims of the compartments being located diametrically opposite to the heavier load in the container thus passing under the liquid jets when the centrifugal force on the load moves the whole in the radial direction, said liquid jets supplying the compartments with liquid, until the container during increasing rotation rotates round its true center and thus the heavier load is counterbalanced.-

2. Means as in claim 1 in which the container is resiliently attached to the axleand is provided with a plurality of compartments at the bottom, said compartments being similar to those at the top of the container, and a further similar arrangement of a plurality of nozzles arranged to bear upon the rims of said compartments.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

